Cavendish Figurines Ltd. officially opened its new $950,000 manufacturing facility in Gateway Village this morning. The new facility, co-owned by Jeannette Arsenault and Don Maxfield, integrates educational and tourism components, such as tours and a video, which explain the rationale behind the business.
On hand for the opening were Wayne Easter, Member of Parliament for Malpeque, on behalf of the Honourable Fred J. Mifflin, Secretary of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA); and the Honourable Don MacKinnon, Minister of Development.
"I want to congratulate Jeannette and Don on the completion of this beautiful facility, and the success of Cavendish Figurines' first summer in Gateway Village," said Mr. Easter. "If the past couple of months are any indication, this company's combination of manufacturing, education and tourism is one that will serve them well in the months and years to come."
The new building and its site are designed to match the architecture of the other buildings in Gateway Village. A seven-foot statue of Anne of Green Gables greets visitors as they arrive on the Island.
"Cavendish Figurines provides an excellent example of an Island company strategically locating to compete for larger markets," said Minister MacKinnon. "This facility not only gives visitors a warm Island welcome, but also allows them to see the fine craftsmanship that goes into the popular Cavendish Figurines Anne Collection."
Cavendish Figurines is Canada's only manufacturer of fine earthenware Anne of Green Gables figurines. The business started operations in November, 1989 with five employees and a series of eight figurines that tell the Anne of Green Gables story. Today, the company produces a second collection called "The Cavendish Characters" and employs close to 15 people.
"Moving our business to the base of the Confederation Bridge in Gateway Village has created a much greater profile for our product," said Ms. Arsenault. "In July alone we welcomed over 31,000 people to the new location. This is a big increase over the 7,000 people we welcomed in 1997 to our Summerside location."
"Manufacturing quality earthenware figurines is still strongly our focus, but this location allows us to build on to that part of our business by adding more tours, an area to promote our products, and other similar attractions," added Mr. Maxfield.
ACOA and the provincial government are both supporting this project. ACOA has provided a $380,000 loan under the Business Development Program.